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Rights of a tenant who is disabled and on a public housing voucher, is the lease agreement only with the landlord in WA state
Spokane, WA
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Posted about 1 year ago in Landlord / Tenant
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renter lease issue:
I am disabled and am on a public housing voucher. I have lived at my current place for more than 10 years. I recently found a place that I will be moving to at the end of the month. (for 55+) My current lanlord says that if I move I have to pay six months worth of rent for breaking my lease. When I went down to housing I was told That I am on a month to month lease and that I am free to move. My current landlord has a document stating that im binded threw Feb of 09. But housing never recieved a copy of this from my landlord. Which they say was my responsibility to do so. But, housing says that my landlord should have sent it in. Bottom line Housing has no record of this lease, therefore im free to move. My current landlord is insisting to push this. I'm looking into getting a lawyer. To top all this off, the landlords husband/maintenance man, keeps coming up to me and threatening to make my life hell if I don't pay the money.
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Answers (1)
Elizabeth Rankin Powell
This attorney is licensed in Washington.
Posted about 1 year ago.
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In WA, either party to a month to month agreement can give 20 day's notice and move with no further consequences. Your rental agreement is with the Housing Authority and also with your landlord, not just with your landlord. If you and Housing have an understanding that your landlord does not share, the burden will be on your landlord to prove his case.
If you have given proper timely written notice to your landlord, you can go at the end of the month. Your landlord could file suit against you for breaking a lease, but he has to be able to prove the lease. If he can't come up with a copy now, and if you don't recall having signed that alleged lease, he's going to have a tough time proving his case in court. As to the maintenance man's threats: my experience is that judges are loathe to provide anti-harassment orders to tenants against their landlords. Of course, if you feel threatened you can always call the police, but if you go ask for a rerestraining order you likely won't get one. You can certainly alert the housing authority that management is being really difficult. Do it in writing. Gonzaga Law School has a clinic that can help you with landlord-tenant issues. Hope this helps. Elizabeth Powell |
